Follow Me (One Direction Fanfiction)
by unionxdirection
Summary: Liam, Zayn, and Louis are criminals who have only known a life of adventure and crime. Niall and Harry are school teachers who have only known a life of unexcitement and mediocrity. On November 7th, 2014, in New York City, their paths cross. pairings: Niam, Larry
1. Chapter 1

**a/n: Please review. Thanks!**

**Chapter 1**

"Go fish."

"Damn it." Niall placed all of his cards on the table. He lost, again. Everyone at the table laughed at him, he only rolled his eyes. As he looked around the table, he realized how tired he was of their Thursday night card game. It was absolutely pathetic.

"I'm out." He surrendered. All pairs of eyes turned to look at him. There were seven, they belonged to his best friend Harry, his co workers, Perrie, Luke, Sophia, Ashton, Michael, and Callum.

"Best 3 out of 5?" Harry prompted but NIall only shook his head. He headed to the small kitchen and took a beer out from the fridge. The game resumed without him.

"I'm gonna turn in early."

"Night." They waved him away absentmindely, too engrossed in what NIall would call a children's game. Taking a swig of his beer, he made his way down the narrow hallway into his room. It was just him and Harry, they lived off of teacher's salaries. They couldn't get much in New York.

Niall sat on his bed as he began to take off his shoes. It was barely 8pm and he was ready for bed. When he and Harry met in college, they both talked about adventure and excitement. They had it all planned out. They would graduate together, travel the world, live out of suitcases, live off of beer and pizza, and enjoy life to its fullest.

When that plan failed, they agreed to move to New York together. Niall thought that it was impossible to not find adventure in a city such as this. They had lived here for three years. Their lives continued to drag on in the most unexciting way. Niall taught high school English, at 25 years old, Harry taught high school history, at 24 years old.

Neither one of them were married. Neither one of them had an actual life, an actual purpose or meaning. It didn't bother Harry, he enjoyed his life. Niall did too, to an extent. He was just looking for more than movie night with Harry, card night with their friends, bedtime at 9pm. He had been someone back home in Ireland. Granted, his hometown wasn't very big, but he was popular and everyone knew his name.

Here, he's just another faceless man in a sea of adventure that he's been excluded from. He wanted more out of life.

He turned the TV on as he loosened his tie. He took another swig of beer as he watched the evening news. He had just had enough until a breaking news bulletin made him pause.

"Police are still on the lookout for the criminals that escaped a Philadelphia jail last month. These three men, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, and Zayn Malik are said to have committed over 80 armed robberies in the past years, sold illegal drugs, and killed at least 10 people in the process. They are said to have been spotted in the Manhattan area but NYPD have no leads. These criminals are extremely dangerous and if anyone has any information, please call this number immediately."

"Wow." Niall turned off the television. That's the thing about big cities that he has yet to be accostumed to. Big cities mean big crimes and big criminals. "Now that's an exciting life."

He finished his drink and heard his friends laugh through the paper thin walls. He just wasn't feeling it anymore. He was sick of cards, he was sick of the norm.

Without bothering to change clothes, he pulled the blankets over his head and fell asleep.

He woke up bright and early, took a shower and got dressed. Harry was up, already dressed, and watching the news. Niall stood behind Harry and watched. They were still talking about the infamous criminals. Apparently they had robbed a convenience store but got away with it all.

"How the hell do they do it? They get arrested and go to one of the most guarded prisons but escape in less than two days. It's unbelievable."

"They're smart." Harry turned to look at Niall in horror.

"I mean they're dumb but they're really smart about it."

Harry shook his head and turned back to the television. A security camera showed two of the three men, holding hostages at gunpoint while the third one stole all of the cash. They didn't even bother to wear masks, they were proud of the crimes they had committed.

Internet personnel called them the Phantom Criminals. They showed up to commit a crime and disappeared before they could be caught.

Once all of the money had been stolen by their supposed leader, Louis Tomlinson, he turned to the security camera and gave two middle fingers.

There was no sound on the video as he called out to his members. They laughed before they turned and ran out of the store, not a trace left behind.

"That store isn't far from us." Harry said seriously. Niall sat on the couch next to him and wrapped an arm around his friend.

"You aren't scared, are you Styles?"

"I think I have a right to be."

"Aw, cheer up. Starbucks run? My treat"

"Yeah, that sounds good."

They both grabbed their jackets and briefcases and headed into the chilly November air. Another awful thing about New York, it was so goddamn cold all of the time.

Harry began to relax as he and Niall merged into the fast walking crowd on their way to work. When Harry was young, he had craved a life of adventure and mischief, but as he grew up, that dream faded. The difference between himself and Niall was, Niall's dream stayed alive.

They walked to the nearest Starbucks and on the way, they passed the recently robbed convenience store. Harry wanted to look away but he couldn't help it. He saw the police cars parked outside and he saw the police interviewing the man who was behind the cash register in the video.

He looked petrified, as did the onlookers around him. There was no telling where or when these criminals would strike again.

Niall nudged Harry and gave him a reassuring smile. With the kind of life the two of them lived, they were guaranteed to not cross paths with the criminals, their lives were just too boring for something as exciting as that.

When they got to Starbucks, Niall ordered for the both of them, the same thing they always got. A plain coffee and cheese bagel for Niall and a chai tea latte and blueberry scone for Harry.

They sat at their usual spot by the window. They ate slowly with plenty of time to kill. Harry's phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and groaned.

"Your parents again?" Niall quizzed. Harry nodded and answered. They were always trying to loan Harry money. You see, Harry Styles came from The Styles family, they owned a really successful companies and shit like that. It didn't look good if their son was living in a mediocre apartment with a mediocre job.

Harry just wanted to break away from his parents' shadows and he succeeded at that. That didn't stop them from calling and asking if he was sure he didn't want a few thousand dollars to buy a "nicer" apartment.

"Thanks but no thanks. Look, I have to get to work. I love you. Bye."

Niall cocked his head to the side and raised his eyebrow. "I don't know. It may not be so bad to get a better apartment."

"I don't want their money." Harry shook his head. Niall understood. He also came from a family of wealth. He had determined long ago that it wasn't successful to be born into money. It would be more successful to earn it. They both came from rich families but kept their distance. That's one of the reasons why they became friends. They understood one another.

"Ready to go?" Harry asked when Niall had taken his last bite of his bagel. He nodded, mouth full, as they threw away their trash. They walked the short distance from Starbucks to the high school they taught at. It wasn't the best school in the world and it wasn't in the best area in the world but they both enjoyed it and that was what mattered.

To start out his first class of the day, Harry began to lecture about the Revolutionary War. He received some interested looks, some bored looks, some uncomfortable looks from the girls who found him attractive, and some obnoxious whispering.

"Tina. What did I just say?" He decided to pick on the whisper queen in the class. She looked startled.

"Something about the war."

"What about the war?"

"Who cares about what happened like 100 years ago or whatever."

"Well, you seem to be interested in something completely different. Why don't you share with the rest of the class?"

All eyes turned to stare at her and she rolled her eyes. She couldn't pass up a chance to talk about anything but history so she took the opportunity.

"I was just talking about those insane criminals. You know, the ones who're wanted for murder, robbery, and illegal drugs."

"What about them?" Harry prompted.

"I don't know. It's kinda scary, I guess. I mean that store is just down the street."

As she said that, others in the room begin to whisper nervously. They were slightly freaked out amidst the crimes in their hometown and the countless school shootings in others.

Harry began to wonder then why he and Niall moved there. Oh, right, they were looking for excitement.

"Everyone, calm down."

It took a second for the whispering to stop. Everyone turned to Harry with a nervous expression on their face.

"I know it's scary. It really is. Listen, none of you have anything to worry about. The police will catch them soon and we can all sleep a little easier. But until then, have a little faith."

Slowly, they nodded. Harry continued class to get everyone's mind off of things. When the bell rang for lunch after 3rd period, he put his chalk down and headed to the teacher's lounge.

The television was turned on to the news again. In less than 24 hours, they had struck again. It was another convenience store that was further from the last one. Like before, this one had security footage of the three men who disappeared into thin air.

"Can't anyone find something else to talk about besides this?" Harry wondered as he went over to fill a paper cup with water.

"It's the talk of the town, mate. There are many criminals in NY but these guys are badass." Luke said.

"I just hope they get arrested soon. It's scary." Sophia spoke up. Niall rested an arm around her shoulders.

"Don't worry. I'll protect you." He joked. She cracked a small smile but the worry didn't leave her face.

Harry took it upon himself to change the channel. He had had enough. "Case closed. We're done talking about this. Let the police handle it."

"Well they seem to be doing a shitty job or they would have been caught already." Niall said and received a pointed look from Harry. Still, they agreed to keep their mouths shut.

The students were already scared, the teachers were scared, and the city was scared. It was best to not think about it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"The city continues to tremble in fear as another life is lost at the hands of these criminals." The news reporter shook her head in pity. It was a little girl this time. She and her mother were robbed in an alley. The young girl got in the way and was shot once in the head.

A video of her hysterical mother made Harry clench his eyes shut to hold in tears of his own. It's been an entire month, the city was sick of the crimes.

"Weren't you the one who wanted us to stop focusing on that?" Niall asked as he made breakfast. Harry turned off the television and went into the kitchen.

"Yeah, well, it's hard to avoid something that's everywhere."

These criminals were becoming more famous than Beyonce. They were some of the most clever criminals of all time. That made the matter worse. They easily avoided the police and left absolutely no trace. It was terrifying.

"Eat up. We have a meeting in an hour." Niall placed a hearty plate of breakfast in front of Harry.

Harry smiled. Niall was always looking out for him. He was grateful for that. He needed someone like that in his life.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Niall wondered as he prepared his own plate and poured a cup of orange juice.

Harry laughed. "If I'm going to live in a fucked up city like this I'm glad it's with you, buddy."

"Oh, stop. You're making me blush." Niall turned shyly away, eliciting another laugh from Harry. "But seriously, we're in this together. We agreed to always look after each other."

And they agreed that when they got married they would live within walking distance of each other. And they agreed that when they had kids they would make sure their kids became best friends. Keeping the Horan/Styles friendship alive had been their ultimate goal.

"I'm just glad you're a good cook." Harry mumbled as he began to scarf down his breakfast.

"Whoa, where's the fire?" Niall wondered as he sat at the counter next to Harry.

"I'm stopping at the ATM before the meeting."

"Oh, right."

The two of them were going to drive down to Boston to see friends for the weekend. They needed money.

"You coming too?" Harry asked around a mouthful of toast.

"Nah, I'm not even dressed. I'll meet you at the school."

Harry finished his food and put his dishes in the dishwasher. "See you in a little while." He said on his way out of the door.

Their apartment wasn't too far from anything. It took Harry 15 minutes to get down to the bank. He stood at the ATM, waiting for his money to print out. He whistled to himself until a chilling voice froze him in place.

"Everyone, put you hands up in the air. Against the wall, now!"

Harry's eyes widened. He was a few steps from the door. If he was quick, he would be able to dash out and call the police. He hesitated for a second too long. Liam was the first one to see him.

"Are you deaf? Get against the wall, now!" Harry jumped as a black pistol turned his way. The gun was trained on him as he walked over to the wall where everyone else was lined up, some cried, some trembled, some prayed. He didn't do any of those things.

Liam went to lock all of the doors while Zayn paced in front of the cowering hostages. He made eye contact with each and every one of them, twirling his gun around his finger.

"Listen, we're all friends here, right? We don't want to hurt anybody. As long as you keep your mouths shut and keep your hands where we can see them, this will be quick and painless. Right Louis?" Zayn called over his shoulder. Louis held an empty bag as he went over to the ATMs and printed out obnoxious sums of other people's money.

"Right Zayn. Keep them occupied. This won't be long." Harry's eyes followed Louis as he stuffed the money into his bag. Liam came and stood in front of Harry, blocking his view.

"You look familiar. What's your name?"

Harry didn't realize he was being spoken to until Liam kicked his foot. Harry grimaced in pain. "Hey, I asked a question. What's your name?"

"H-Harry."

"Harry what?" Liam leaned in, his gun clutched in his expert hand.

"Styles. Harry S-Styles."

"No shittin'. Hey, Louis, did you hear that?" Liam turned around. Harry could see Louis standing in front of a bank teller's counter. There were safety bars in front of this girl's desk so burglars couldn't jump over the counter and steal.

"Shut up. I'm busy!" Louis yelled at Liam who cowered. Yes, Louis was definitely the boss. Harry watched as Louis fake pitied the girl who trembled behind the counter.

"Oh, sweetie. Don't worry. I won't hurt you. These guns are just for show. You see, we don't actually fire them unless we get pissed off. Give me all the money you have and we won't have a problem."

She was in shock but she nodded. She ran off to grab the money and Louis leaned against the counter. "What were you saying?"

"This here is Harry Styles." Liam laughed and pointed his gun at Harry.

"Really? Harry Styles of the famous Styles family. How much money do your parents have?"

"I-I don't k-know." Harry responded.

Louis laughed and turned his attention elsewhere. The woman was hurrying back with the cash but Louis' eyes scanned the line of people against the wall. There was a father that sat protectively in front of his wife and children, the wife was talking on the phone to the police.

Louis began to walk over towards them. They weren't too far from where Harry sat and he cringed as Louis crouched down.

"Why don't you step aside so I can speak to the little lady behind you?"

He refused to move. "You have to go through me first." Louis rolled his eyes and looked over his shoulder at Zayn.

"I just don't get why they can't cooperate. Things would be so much easier if they did."

Zayn nodded and Louis turned back around to face the man. Louis threw a powerful punch that knocked the man on his side, nose bleeding profusely. The woman behind the man held her children close.

Louis took the phone from her and tossed it aside. "I'm in a good mood today. Don't piss me off."

He stood up and made his way back to the counter to receive the money. As the lady filled up his bag, he turned around. The woman who had called the police was reaching for her phone. With expert aim and quick reflexes, Louis pulled the trigger and shot her hand.

She screamed and begin to cry. She prayed in between, she prayed for her children to get out safely.

"I told you not to piss me off."

"That was unnecessary." Someone spoke up. It took Harry a long time to realize it was him. Zayn and Liam pointed their guns at the man.

"You've got balls, kid." Louis smirked. "Put the guns down."

Harry had been close to either crying or wetting himself. He wasn't sure. But he relaxed when the guns weren't trained on him.

"I won't forget that." Louis said. Just then, they heard the sound of a police siren.

"Fucking police always ruining our fun. I'm having fun. Aren't you guys?" Louis smiled like he expected everyone in the room to answer. Liam and Zayn agreed.

Louis turned to the woman who had handed him the money. "These door and windows are bullet proof. Aren't they?"

"Y-y-y-es." She stuttered.

"In that case. I think I'll keep you guys for a little bit longer."

Niall left the house after Harry did. He texted Harry to ask if he was on his way to the school but didn't get a response. Niall shrugged it off. Harry barely answers his phone anyway. He stuck his hands in his pocket as he hurried to the school. The meeting would start in 20 minutes. He assumed Harry would be there by then.

He made his way into the teachers' conference to find Harry missing.

"Where's Harry?" Niall asked a loud to the rest of the staff.

"Shouldn't you know? You guys are usually together." Callum pointed out.

"He went to the bank and left before me. He should have been here by now."

They all just shrugged. He might have stopped for coffee or something. Niall wasn't at all worried as he mingled with his friends until it was time for the teachers' meeting. By then, when Harry still hadn't showed up, he began to worry, as did everyone else.

"I'll try calling him." Niall stated. He took out his phone to dial Harry's number. It rang and rang with no answer at the end. Niall tried a few more times and so did others. Still, no answer.

"That's weird." He said aloud,

The meeting went along as planned but Niall couldn't focus on anything but Harry. The students were already starting to arrive at school and it was very unlike Harry to miss work and not call ahead of time. Niall knew something was wrong.

When they were dismissed for work, Niall started his students on an assignment and went to Harry's classroom down the hall. The kids didn't have a teacher and were talking and yelling. The class was out of control.

"Hey! Keep it down!" Niall yelled. Everyone stopped talking and looked at him. "I want all of you to get your things and come to my classroom." The class wasn't too big and Niall could watch after the students until Harry got back.

"Where's Mr. Styles?" Someone asked.

"He's running a little late." Niall responded. He led the students to his classroom just as Sophia ran in, looking horrified.

"They want you in the teachers' lounge right now. I'll look after the students."

Niall nodded. From the urgency in Sophia's voice, he knew it was something important. He ran to the teachers' lounge and found a couple of them and the principle huddled around the TV. Niall pushed his way up to the front.

The news showed live footage in front of the bank. Police were surrounding all the exits with guns. Niall watched as the camera panned closer to the door and windows, showing the people inside.

Niall gasped when he saw Harry. He was against the wall, petrified. He had been punched in the face and his lip dripped blood. Liam, Louis, and Zayn stood in front of the hostages laughing. They had taken all of the money they needed and were having fun teasing the police.

"Oh my god."

Harry didn't have any reason to be scared because Niall was scared enough for the both of them. If Niall had gone with Harry, he would have been sitting there next to his friend cowering. Niall had never branded himself religious but he closed his eyes and began to pray.

"So, Harry. Do your parents live in New York?" Louis crouched down to Harry and ignored the shout of police to surrender their weapons and unlock the doors.

"Yes." Harry said. He didn't want to look Louis in the eye. He was intimidating, they all were.

"I wonder how they would feel about their precious son being on the news."

Without warning, Louis punched Harry, hard. His lip began to bleed. "How much do they love you? Huh?"

Harry knew he looked pathetic. His life was on the line here and he had no choice but to cooperate. "We have a great relationship."

"Good to know." Louis smiled deviously as he made eye contact with Zayn and Liam. They spoke a language of their own without words. Somehow they knew what their leader was thinking.

"Alright everyone. I'm in a really good mood today. I think I'll let you all go."

Everyone sighed in relief.

"The police have this place surrounded. You have nowhere to run." It was the lady with the shot hand that spoke.

"Do you have a death wish?" Louis hissed as he pointed his gun at her head. She gulped loudly but her husband sat in front of her, his nose clearly broken. Louis took off the safety latch and slowly brought his pointer finger down on the trigger.

The entire room held their breath. Right at the last second, Louis pulled his finger off the trigger and laughed.

"I'm just fucking with you. I'm not a murderer. To reply to your earlier statement, you're completely right. The police do have this place surrounded. But, you see, we've been doing this for a long time and we always have a place to run. Stand up." He waved his gun at the woman and she stood.

Her husband stood instead. "No. Take me."

"Whatever." Louis rolled his eyes. Liam and Zayn randomly chose someone from the lineup. Louis grabbed the man's arm and took him over to the door.

Liam, Zayn, and their chosen victims were dragged along as well. Harry was glad it wasn't him. He watched as Louis unlocked the door. The police all surrounded them. They held the innocent people in front of them like shields. Harry watched as they stealthily put their guns away before running and merging into the huge crowd. They disappeared within seconds.

He was too stunned to move until he was jostled by someone suddenly jumping up to run out of the open door.

He ran out of the door as well. The police all looked around, stunned. They were stealthy, Harry would give him that. He was just thankful they were all alive.

Harry allowed the police to question him until he heard a familiar voice call out of his name. He turned around and Niall came running at him. They embraced in a hug.

"Oh my god, Harry. Are you okay?"

Harry tried not to allow himself to show how scared he was inside the bank but he allowed himself to be petrified now. He cried into his best friend's arms. To think that he could have been killed. He was held at gunpoint by the most notorious criminals in New York.

"Let's just go home. Let's just go home." Harry allowed himself to be taken away from the crowd of people asking if he was okay. No, he was far from it.

Niall prepared tea for Harry who hadn't stopped crying since they got home. His parents called him, they had seen the news, Harry cried harder.

"Shh. It's going to be fine. You hear me?"

"I could have died. I could have been killed." Harry sobbed into Niall's chest. Harry's phone rang nonstop from concerned friends. Their buzzer rang nonstop because of more concerned people. Niall told them to all go away.

He turned on the TV instead to get his mind off of everything but it only broadcasted a re showing of the day's earlier events. Harry didn't want to see himself held hostage. He just wanted to sleep.

"I'll be out here if you need me." Niall said. Harry nodded and walked to his room. He shut the door and closed his eyes. Today's events had come and gone. It didn't matter. He was safe, he was alive, he was fine.

When Harry crawled into bed and shut his eyes. He couldn't get the image of Louis from his mind. Louis was terrifying. Liam and Zayn were just his lackeyes. All of the questions about his parents, he couldn't get that out of his mind.

He finally fell asleep a couple of hours later. He was awoken by a loud noise and a hand pressed over his mouth.

"Don't say a word." A gun was pressed to the side of his head. Harry gasped at the voice. It was Louis. Harry wondered how the hell he even got there or found out where he lived.

"Harry, you're going to be spending a lot of time with us. I'm giving you 10 minutes to pack whatever the hell you need and then we're out of here. If you even think about calling for help you'll regret it." Harry nodded and Louis uncovered his mouth.

Harry flipped on the light and began packing. Louis waited patiently, gun at the ready. No one said a word until Niall burst through the door. "Are you okay Harry? I thought I heard-"

Niall gulped as a gun was pointed his way. "Who are you?" Louis asked.

"N-Niall." He replied. Louis walked closer to him, gun held in front of his body.

"You live here?" Louis asked.

Niall nodded, unable to find words.

"He's my roommate." Harry spoke up, his voice shaky.

"Ah, it might be nice for Harry to have company. I won't kill you Niall. Pack your bags. You're coming with us too."

Niall didn't protest. When someone holds a gun out to you you don't protest.

Niall came back a moment later with a suitcase in his hands. His legs trembled slightly, his hands shook, he was as scared as Harry.

"Let's go boys." Louis said in a singsong way. He gestured for the boys to follow him the same way he got in, from the fire escape. They followed him down the stairs into an abandoned alley. They followed him to an empty side street where a car waited.

"Get in." Louis ordered.

They scrambled into the backseat. Liam drove and Zayn wrote shotgun. Louis clambered in the back with Niall and Harry.

"Alright, boys?" Zayn laughed as Liam started the car.

"I hope you weren't too accustomed to your pathetic lives. Now you're rolling with us. We won't give you back until we get what we want."

"What is that, exactly?" Harry spoke but was afraid he was being too forward. He cringed. Louis laughed.

"You'll find out soon enough."

As the car drove away, Niall realized his wish was coming true. He was always sick of leaving a boring life but now his life would be anything but boring. It would be changed forever.


End file.
